Have you or someone you know had an abortion?

Question

Not that I am intending to or anything, just that it is an issue being considered in Victoria's Parliament at the moment. I just want to know whether people's views on the issue change following an abortion and if so, how exactly have they changed? If they haven't changed, is it something that people face up to squarely or something that they tend to avoid thinking about?

Answer 1

The general public will think down on you... Keep the baby.

Answer 2

Pro Life advocates usually try to lead into the scare tactics.  So, most of the time they point out things that rarely happen, like suicidal thoughts and regret.   True this may happen to some people.  But the likelyness of becoming mentaly unstabble after a abortion tends to only happen when you were mentally unstable before it.   Pro Choice usually aren't out telling people to get abortions, so I highly doubt they are covering up anything.

Answer 3

abortion is one of those things that you have to choose for yourself... I had one when i was really young and even though it was the best thing for me then, i do have regrets, and "what if's". But it was a choice i made and i know i couldn't have given that child a decent home. I couldn't even take care of myself b/w all the partying and drinking i was doing. And now i have a beautiful baby boy who is 3 months old . It is so hard to take care of a child. Abortion is not going anywhere anytime soon. Think about it there are hundreds of babies aborted everyday. Could you imagine if all women went through with all those pregnancies? We would be way over populated. Taxes would go up b/c half the women would put their children in the system, and we would be the ones paying for them. So as for your question. Yes my veiws changed on abortion following mine, I know it was the right thing to do but i am still left with a ton of guilt and regret. Especially after the birth of my son. I just keep thinking i would have 2 miracles instead of one. Mabey i could have made it work, I don;t know what kind of answers you are looking for here but i hope this helped

Answer 4

Abortion is such a rough subject to discuss b/c there are so many views.  I am a believer in having children.  If you laid down, you should be able to pay the price.  However, its is a woman's choice.  If she knows that she doesn't want children and if she went about protecting herself and it didn't work then she should weigh her pro's and con's.  If she thinks that she is able to provide for thus child, or whether she will want to provide for this child.  Worse it would be she would have this baby and it would end up in-care anyway. I don't think that abortion laws have changed very much at all.

Answer 5

Um... Well, I've had 2 abortions. Both times I got pregnant, I was using some type of birth control. But,  my husband and I do not want children, so we decided to terminate the pregnancies.

I'm not sure what you mean by "not telling the truth." What exactly do you mean? Telling the truth about what? How I feel about it? I have no regrets about my decision.

I live in the U.S., and I'm completely pro-choice. Our birth control failed us, and I'm thankful that I had the option safely terminate my pregnancies. The fact of the matter is, even if you make abortion illegal, women are still going to seek them (as they always have since the dawn of modern civilization). It was decided that it was best to allow it to be safely done, instead of women being butchered in back alley clinics.

I don't "avoid" thinking about my abortions. I just don't think about it (until someone brings up the topic, and I feel the need to voice my opinion). I don't think about it everyday the same way I don't think about my prom everyday. It wasn't a life altering event. I remember being very relieved though.

So, what else exactly would you like to know? What do you think I'm hiding?

Answer 6

I had an abortion and  I wouldn't change a thing. I am prochoice and believe that it is your body and you should pick what is best for you. To this day I have no regrets. I have two wonderful children now but I wasn't ready then. Best Choice for myself and my future!

Answer 7

I am pro-choice.  I had an abortion and I don't regret doing it.  I was not ready for a baby and had weighed all my options and it was the best thing for me.  Had I to do it over again, I would.  It has not changed me in any way.  I am still pro-choice and I have two very beautiful children.  They were planned and provided for well.  I think every person has a right to choose what they do with their bodies.  There are too many children born into horrible situations.  As a side note here, I had a child before I had the abortion that I gave up for adoption.  So, for anyone who says that adoption is a choice, it's much harder going through that.  That is something that I think about every day and that is something that has changed me.  I guess its easier to decide for other people than for yourself.

Answer 8

i myself had one a few years ago . to this day i regret it . i was young and dumb back then . i have a beutiful 14 month old son whom i am very grateful that i got a second .  now i do believe that a woman has a right to make her own decision , but for me never again

Answer 9

Abortion is a very personal decision .. Males keep out as we can not understand the emotions involved .. My wife had an abortion after she was raped at 14.. A decision we live with & we both think it was the right one.. 'Accidental pregnancies r not a reason for an abortion  but the mental & physical future of the mother ,the child & other immediate family need to b considered .. So sorry but I feel there is no definite answer..IT IS UP TO THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED  DIRECTLY.....P>S> There is a life after an abortion as we now have 8 mischievious kids , all wanted so no need to consider an abortion ...1 hers ..2 mine ...5 ours .... ALL OURS

Answer 10

I support a woman's right to choose... and choice is just that, a choice. I myself would not have exercised that choice having seen a couple of friends mourn their decision in a very real way, but absolutely it is sometimes the right thing.

One girl had an ultrasound showing severe birth defects, and terminated a very unlikely-to-survive pregnancy. Another took the morning-after pill, and when that failed, needed to end what would have been disastrous (she was a teenager already sent to foster care, heading for a group home and with a baby would have been 2 more people on welfare for decades, without she went to college and is a successful tax paying member of society, now a happily married mother of two).

In neither case did these girls take it lightly or forget it. In both cases, they stand by their decision and would do it again in the same conditions, but that doesn't mean they're not consciencious and careful to avoid a repeat. Women are painted as lazy or stupid if they need one... but then those who are pressured into keeping their children in bad situations are held accountable forever when those children have any social or medical issues later.

Answer 11

yes... and if you are pregnant don't have an abortion. because if you do you is going to regret it when you realize what you just did to a baby

Answer 12

I did when I was 17, I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew was that I didn't want to be pregnant because that meant I would be in trouble. I didn't see my baby there inside me. No one knew about this except my sister and bf. I look back and still don't know how I could do something so awful. Its a pain that I still fall to my knees and cry about today...7 years later. I will never forgive my self NEVER. I still don't know why the people went through with the procedure when I was crying the whole time and I didn't know why. Now I m not a psychologist or any thing but if I seen some one like that its obvious they don't what their doing. I will never make excuses for what Ive done and believe I will go to h**l. I punish myself all the time and have done so for 7 years although that still is not enough. Yep I'm completely screwed up from it. I think of my baby all the time and how He/her mum could do this to them. After my baby died I watched an abortion vid and read up on it to find out what had happened to my baby..and now I hav an empty spot in my heart where the pain of a sword sits. and still this is my deepest secret that no one knows. Please do not have an abortion its paying some one to kill your child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Answer 13

A friend of mine did about a year ago, but we don't speak anymore because of it.  At 19 she got pregnant by a guy she knew, and well she came to me and wanted advice, as I have been in the situation of being pregnant at a young age ( had twins at 16), and I bluntly told her about my opinion on abortion, as I am very strong about my opinion, and will tell you what I think. Well she had an abortion and we have lost touch since then.

Answer 14

I have an older sister that had one at 16.  Today she's married with 3 children, but still regrets what she did.  I do not agree with it, but will support people that feel they need to do it and I don't judge it.  I personally only think it should happen if it's a medical reason, rape or the child is very young, other than that I think that they should be carried and given out for adoption.  Do I force my beliefs down the throat of others? No.  What is right for me may not be right for another person.  As for judging them for having one, what would that accomplish?  Some people do it and feel relieved and others do it and regret it for the rest of their lives.  I would encourage anyone seeking an abortion to research it and know exactly what to expect and to research about their baby before they have one to know what their baby can do around the time they are getting an abortion.  Other than that all I can offer is my support and help once it is done.  Just because I would never have one or couldn't imagine it doesn't make it right for me to make someone else follow my thoughts and desires.  We're all different with different needs and wants.

Answer 15

As a male you have the luxury of being against abortion. If you get a girl pregnant you can walk away.

I am so grateful that I like at a time and in a country where abortion is possible. I can't imagine where my life would be had I not had a termination.

Pro choicer do tell the whole truth and the truth is that it is a women's right to decide.

Answer 16

I never regreted having an abortion many years ago. Now though, after having 2 children i would never abort another.

Answer 17

What changes your life forever is accidentally getting pregnant.  You have 3 options.  Abortion, adoption, or parenting.  No matter what you decide, your life is changed.  There are great outcomes from all 3, there are terrible outcomes from all 3.  What emotionally damages people, is being forced into abortion, adoption, or parenting.  I think you will find that most people who have had an abortion are very relieved.  I also think you will find that most people who have given up a baby for adoption regretted it.  The difference?  A potential child, or a child out there that the birthmother wonders about.  There is no closure with adoption.  

It all boils down to the fact that it is wrong to push your beliefs on people.

Answer 18

When I was growing up my family always taught me to be pro-life. So, I always disagreed with it. When I found myself pregnant at age 17, my opinion started to change. Well, I wouldn't say it changed, just that for the first time in my life I had my own opinion on the subject. I did have an abortion. Where I live you need parental consent to get an abortion if you are under 18. My father and his entire family disowned me. It's been almost 4 years and they still won't talk to me. After everything I went through, I am still pro-choice. I would never have another abortion, but I will never judge a woman for whatever decision she makes.

Answer 19

i have had 2 abortions and regret both of them. i lost a lot of weight due to not eating. i turned to drugs and hard drinking.

Answer 20

I have never personally had an abortion (never been pregnant) but I know that I myself am Pro-life. I could never do that to a child. But in another point; my youngers sisters best friend had an abortion. She is 18 and her boyfriend is 17. She was on the fence about whether to have one or not and all of the parents involved as well as the boyfriend talked her into having the abortion done as it would "ruin" their lives to have the baby. She has had to go on anti-depressants and we are all still very worried about her as she is very depressed and often talks about how she would soon be having the baby, what she was thinking for names, etc. I'm sure every person handles an abortion differently but that is how it worked out for her.

Answer 21

I know 3 people who have had abortions. One of them regrets it and the other two are glad they had one.

Answer 22

I don't think its a subject we should aviod. My views on abortion were the same after I had one as before - although afterwards I feel more strongly that ANY woman who wants an abortion should have the right to one. No questions asked.

The experience did not change me, and I don't regret it - I felt an overwhelming relief and that was all really. If it weren't for pro-lifers spreading false, exaggerated and/or cruelly emotive information, women who need abortions wouldn't feel as much misery as they tend to do in most cases.

Answer 23

i believe in some cases abortion is OK for example if a woman falls pregnant due to being raped.

i also believe that there are so many types of contraception available these days there is no reason for someone who doesn't want to have a baby to fall pregnant. in situations where people haven't been practising safe s*x and do fall pregnant, i am against abortion.

Answer 24

My sister had an abortion when she was in her teens, because the father refused to support it. At that age, she felt that she had no choice.

Afterwards, she attempted suicide several times, turned to drugs and lost a lot of friendships. She avoids discussing it now.

Abortion does change you, but it is a necessary evil in some cases.